Can we talk carpet?

6 years ago

My kids want it in their bedrooms - I think I do as well. How do you go about choosing? There are so many brands and price points, I don't know where to begin. I know to get a good pad, beyond that, any tips? brands to avoid?

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highdesertowl

6 years ago

Hi Cyndy, I love carpeted bedrooms, and can certainly understand why your kids would want them. Your question will likely stir up the "war" between hardwood and carpet enthusiasts though, so be prepared :) Depending on the age of your kids, you may want to look at a loop carpet (much more conducive for cars and train sets, legos, blocks, board games, etc)--but still warm, soft, and comfortable. There are wonderful waterproof carpet pads available now too, that prevent spills from soaking down into the pad, which is AWESOME. Many carpet dealers are pushing Polyester fibers for their softness; but I'm still a firm believer in Nylon for durability, stain removal, and softness.

WTW carpet also mutes ambient noise, and improves insulation through your floor. Carpet traps allergens and keeps them from "kicking up" and circulating through the air every time someone crosses the room, or closes a door. Regular vacuuming, and professional cleaning should easily prevent your carpets from becoming "toxic". I raised 4 children (plus 2 cats and a dog) with carpeted bedrooms, family rooms, and living rooms--and visitors often remarked on the cleanliness/freshness of our home.

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Anglophilia
6 years ago
I would not put wall-to-wall carpet in a child's room. A nice, bound area rug will be fine, and ready to throw out if it becomes a toxic waste site.
Cyndy
Original Author
6 years ago
Anglophilia - I appreciate that opinion. We had hardwoods and rugs in their rooms in our previous (flooded) house. Our current tiny living space has concrete floors and a few rugs. They have made very few request regarding our rebuild and 2/3 of them really want carpet in their rooms. I'm ok with it and honestly we can stretch and replace it later ourselves - so I'm ok with carpet. Now- picking a good one is where I need help.
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Pretty much anything in the $3 a square foot range up will be decent quality. You want nylon or smartstrand. For a bedroom, nothing beats a plush for comfort under foot. It feels exactly like it sounds, like plush velvet on your bare feet. But, if seeing your footprints or vacuum tracks bothers you, maybe a plush isn't for you. Maybe you'd want a frieze, which is a short shag. But, you walk on the sides of the fibers on a frieze, so it won't be as durable as with a plush where you walk on the ends of the strands. However, it will hide traffic paths more, and can also feel soft because of the bulk of the yard. All carpet these days has built in stain protection except for the very cheapest, so don't let something like that in a "name" deter you from buying what feels and looks best to you. As with anything, take it home and see how it feels underfoot to you. Or, you could do the matching wood (did you ever get that project done?) in the bedrooms (selling upgrade) and have a really nice wool carpet edgebound to be a large area rug underneath. You get the benefit of taking the rug with you at selling time then.
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gracie01 zone5 SW of Chicago
6 years ago
Look at commercial carpet in a real carpet store. I used it in 3 kids bedrooms and it wore like iron. Easy to vacuum too.
Cyndy
Original Author
6 years ago
Gracie - is that considered berber?
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Cyndy
Original Author
6 years ago
Thank you Chocolatesnap. When we finally move in our home, my kids will be 6, 10, and 12. We have strict rules about food and even water in bedrooms, so that shouldn't be a problem. But good to know about the waterproof carpet pad. I am definitely in need of durability!! We use a Roomba for frequent vacuuming and he does much better with full carpet than carpet plus rugs.
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alex9179
6 years ago
We're probably putting carpet in the kids' rooms, as well. I'm thinking about nylon for stain resistance and durability. Polyester and olefin are less expensive and might be a good fit if you plan on replacing it within a few years. The pad will be mid-range. The pile will be something like frieze and definitely nothing with loops.

My kids aren't very young, with the youngest 11. Food and drink aren't allowed in the bedrooms, though they've tried to sneak Halloween candy on occasion.

Frankly, I'd prefer to put tile everywhere and use area rugs. That's cost prohibitive so this is my compromise.

Here are a couple of guides I found

http://www.carpetprofessor.com/best_carpet_for_kids_and_pets.htm

https://www.carpetcaptain.com/carpet-buying-guide/best-carpet-kids/
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Chessie
6 years ago
Shaw is an excellent brand. Stainmaster and Mohawk Smartstrand are also good. I just put in Shaw Tuftex (a recently acquired "high end" subsidiary brand of Shaw) that I love. I put it in the room over the garage and on the stairs.

Berber(looped) will hold up better than a plush, but plush feels better. I put the diamond pattern on the stairs (it's a berber/plush mix).

Get nylon, not polyester.

As far as stain resistance, stick with the top brands - practically every carpet brand has good stain treatments now.

This is a great website with lots of good info on carpet.

http://www.carpetprofessor.com/new_page_23.htm
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Cyndy
Original Author
6 years ago
Alex and Chess - THANK YOU so much for the info and links. Hitting some research overload and it is nice to have those links.
User
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Shaw also has some great prints that can hide lots of oops in a child's bedroom.

Can we talk carpet?

highdesertowl

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Anglophilia

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Can we talk carpet?

highdesertowl

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